~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nadia woke to the smell of what registered only as 'breakfast' to her sleep-addled brain. Yawning, she turned onto her side and came nose-to-plastic with a plate set on her bedside table; a plate of still-steaming scrambled eggs topped with cheese and, after a quick sniff, garlic. She smiled as she sat up, building a table of pillows on her lap for her unexpected meal. Unfortunately, her cellphone picked that exact moment to interject and she sighed as she placed her untouched plate back on her nightstand. She took a quick bite of the meal before reaching for her mobile. She unplugged the offending noisemaker from its charger, swallowed her mouthful of eggs and flipped her phone open.
"Hello?"
Her father's voice answered. "Good morning, Sweet Pea. Did I wake you?"
She shook her head, forgetting that he could not see her. "Mmm... no. I was about to have breakfast."
"Breakfast? At 7:30 in the morning? You?" She smiled at the amusement in his tone.
"Yes Daddy, I am a grown woman now and my days of sleeping in until the afternoon are over." She smiled innocently to herself, knowing very well she usually woke up between ten and eleven. A trifling detail she need not mention, of course.
"Well I'm mighty proud of you, Nadia. I'll get down to business, then, I don't want to keep you from your meal. It's about this 'Mr. Black' you asked me about last night. I haven't gotten very much back on him yet, but it seems he has a room rented out at a boarding house down on King Edward, near where it intersects with Rideau."
Nadia nodded, jotting 'Boarding house - Kind Edward Avenue and Rideau Street' on the pad she always had nearby. "That's a big help, thank you Daddy."
"Sweet Pea, I don't want you going down there. The area doesn't have the best reputation and if this guy works with organized crime that just makes it riskier."
"Don't worry; I'll make sure Thomas comes with me when I go check the place out."
She could almost picture him massaging his temples as he sighed. "You've got your mother's tenacity and my curiosity. There just isn't any stopping you, is there?"
Nadia grinned. "Nope! I'll probably head down there later today. And don't worry, I'll be careful. Mace and stun guns may be illegal, but I'll be keeping one of those aerosol cans of air freshener in my purse from now on. I doubt anyone will give me much trouble after that stuff gets into their eyes."
"That's not like you. What happened yesterday to make you so cautious, Nadia?"
"Oh, it wasn't any big deal. I was following up on a lead I had gotten, but it turned out that the guy I was to meet with had been paid to deter me from asking any more questions."
"Sweet Pea, remind me later that I need to sit you down for a talk the next time you come by the house. Getting attacked qualifies as a big deal. Were you hurt at all?"
"No Daddy, I told you, I'm fine. Thomas was passing by and came to my rescue. I explained my investigation to him and he even agreed to help me. We tailed the man back to his boss' office and that's how we got Black's name."
Her father was silent for a long moment. "As much as I want to lecture you right now, you are an adult and I have to admit I'm impressed by how you pursue your career so... determinedly. I want to meet this 'Thomas', though. Soon."
"Why? He's a nice guy, Daddy, really. You don't need to interrogate him for his motives or anything like that."
"Nor was it my intent. He saved my daughter; I think I owe the young man a thank you at the very least. Plus, I would like to think my instincts as a journalist and a father are sharp enough to tell me when you've taken a liking to someone."
Nadia felt her face redden slightly. "That's silly; I've only just met him! I mean, sure he's a big help and a good cook, but that doesn't mean anything."
"Uh-huh. A 'good cook', is he? Considering you've only just met him, could that mean he's made you breakfast the very first morning after you met him? Which, I should add, also means you felt comfortable enough with him to let him stay the night on your couch?"
The blush deepened. "Daddy, do you have any idea how creepy your journalistic insight gets in these situations?"
"Oh, I have an inkling. But I'll leave it alone for now, if only because he did save you. That gets him some positive marks in my book. Your mother and I will expect you, and your young friend, for dinner sometime this week, though, all right?"
"Yes Daddy. Thanks again for the information, I love you."
"Love you Sweet Pea. Take care now."
She closed her phone and dug into her breakfast, thankful it was still mostly warm. She regretted that she could not give it the attention it deserved, however, as her mind was preoccupied with what her father had said. He had been right on target, she had not even thought twice about inviting Thomas into her apartment last night. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and pushed that line of thought aside for the moment. Just because she trusted him did not mean she had feelings for him. He had rescued her, she was grateful and he had so far been a gentleman and a valuable friend, but that was all. Nodding at her internal monologue's summary of the situation, she finished her breakfast and set to getting dressed.
A few minutes later, she stood in front of her room's full length mirror to study her appearance. She wore her hair up in a ponytail as she usually did, but had traded her blouse and slacks for a pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt. Her father's words had stuck in her mind and she nodded at her more casual style of dress in satisfaction. She opened her door and scooped up her plate and fork as she passed into the hallway. Entering the main room, she was momentarily surprised when she did not see Thomas on the couch. She re-entered the living room after placing her dishes in the sink and spied her guest on the balcony. Leaning against the closed screen door, she watched him for a moment before speaking up.
"Good morning."
Thomas jumped slightly as he turned, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, Nadia, good morning."
She cocked her head to one side. "What are you looking at?"
"The shopping centre. I noticed it down the street when we arrived yesterday and I was curious which it was. It's St. Laurent, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Did you need something there?"
He shook his head. "No, I was just curious."
She laughed quietly. "You're a strange one, Mr. Carmichael. How was the couch, did you sleep well?"
"Oh, yes, quite well thank you. And yourself?"
"Fine. Oh and thank you for breakfast. I was kept from eating it while it was hot, but it was delicious."
He smiled. "Oh, it was no trouble; I was making some for myself and thought it was good manners to offer you some, since they were your ingredients to begin with."
"Well, it was thoughtful of you. Anyway, my father called and we've got our next lead. A boarding house down on King Edward Avenue, supposedly around the Rideau intersection."
"That's supposed to be a rough area of town, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but Ottawa's pretty good for that sort of thing, in my experience at least, so I think we'll be fine. I'm bringing some insurance in my purse, just to be safe, though."
"Sounds like a good idea. Can't say as I blame you after yesterday."
Nadia nodded. "Well, it wasn't that bad of a day, but it could have gone a lot worse. So I figure it's best to make sure today doesn't make up for it."
He chuckled. "That's definitely true. So, knowing you, I imagine we're leaving soon?"
She smiled innocently. "You've only known me for a day, Thomas and already you've learned so much. Is there anything you need to do before we go, or anything to pick up on the way?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm pretty self-sufficient."
She stepped back from the door and opened it for him. "All right then, let’s be on our way."